Pick-guard

ABSTRACT

An autoclavable pick-guard for shielding the delicate tip of a medical pick, or the like, comprises a pair of hingedly connected jaws which are adapted to be securely though releasably clamped onto the tip-adjacent end of a pick inserted longitudinally of said jaws.

D United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,904,033 Haerr Sept. 9, 1975 [54]PICK-GUARD 3,512,631 5/1970 Price ct a1 206/349 3,568,673 3/1971 Cowley128/214.4 [75] Inventor: cmcmnat" 3,610,240 /1971 Harautuneian l28/214.4Ohlo 3,741,377 6/1973 Krellen 220/339 x 3,746,162 7/1973 Bridges 220/339X [73 Asslgnee' g g corporat'on Cmcmnat" 3,825,110 7/1974 Halbich et al.220 339 x 22 Filed: Nov. 8, 1974 Primary Exdminer-Wflham 1. Price i l PPN05 522vl Assistant Examiner-Steven E. Lipman Attorney, Agent, orFirm-J. Warren Kinney, J r. [52] US. Cl. 206/349; /151; 30/164 7;

128/214.4; 220/339 [51] Int. Cl. B26B 29/00; BD /54 57 ABSTRACT [58]Field of Search 30/151, 153, 164.7, 286,

30/296 A, 368; 128/2144, 329, 346; An autoclavable pick-guard forshielding the delicate 206/349; 220/334, 337, 339; 24/3 A, 73 AP, tip ofa medical pick, or the like, comprises a pair of 73 SA, 81 H11, 81 TH,132 HA, 156 R, 248 hingedly connected jaws which are adapted to be se-B, 248 SL, 248 L, 249 R, 249 SL, 249 LL, curely though releasablyclamped onto the tip- 255 SL, 258 adjacent end of a pick insertedlongitudinally of said jaws. [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS7 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures 2,053,707 9/1936 Farmer 4. 30/151 XPATENTEBSEP 91975 EiliulFlQ I M PICK-GUARD BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The subject invention is directed toan autoclavable pick-guard which readily accommodates and effectivelyshields the delicate tip of any of a variety of medical picks or thelike and which includes means for readily and visually ascertaining theconfiguration of the shielded tip. The pick-guard is easily andefficiently opened and/or closed with one hand.

2. Description of the Prior Art It is known to manufacture anautoclavable, unitary clamp comprising a pair of jaws which are hingedlyse cured to one another and are resiliently maintained in normally open,spaced-apart relationship, wherein the jaws include an integral latchand latch-keeper for securely though releasably locking the jaws inclosed relationship for clamping one or more tubes which are carried byand pass transversely between the jaws, such as illustraded, by way ofexample, in the pending application of Gale W. Miller, et al.; entitled:UNITARY CLAMP; Ser. No. 363,034; assigned to Cincinnati Bio- Medical,Inc., now US. Pat. No. 3,896,527.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The pick-guard of the present invention differsfrom the aforementioned clamp in that the latch and latchkeeper aredesigned to permit the delicate tip of a medical pick or the like to belongitudinally inserted into the space between the normally open jawsand between a pair of upstanding, laterally spaced latches forsubstantially enveloping and effectively shielding the tip during allphases of handling, including storage and autoclaving. The pick-guarddiffers, further, in that one of the jaws includes a deformable,resilient bearing surface whereby the pick-guard will readilyaccommodate, securely grip and effectively shield any of a variety ofmedical picks having tips of different size and/or configuration.

The pick-guard comprises upper and lower elongate jaws secured inpivotal relationship with one another at one of their ends by anintegral hinge which resiliently urges the jaws into normally open,spaced-apart relationshipv A pair of transversely aligned, laterallyspaced latches are secured to and carried by the lower jaw and aresecurely though releasably engageable with a latchkeeper in the upperjawfor locking the jaws in closed, pick-gripping relationship, whereby theclosed jaws securely grip, substantially envelop and effectively shieldthe delicate tip of the pick.

A resilient pad is disposed in abutting relationship with the uppersurface of the lower jaw in encompassing relationship with the lowerends of the two latches to define a deformable, resilient bearingsurface for receiving the medical pick, whereby the pick-guard readilyaccommodates and securely grips any of a variety of shapes and sizes ofmedical picks. One of the jaws includes an elongate, central openingbetween the latch members and the pivoted ends of the jaws for readilyand visually disclosing the location and configuration of the shieldedtip.

The latches are transversely aligned, laterally spaced, upstanding,resilient members which are secured to and project upwardly from thelower jaw, whereas the latch-keeper comprises a pair of latch-receptiveslots in the upper jaw. A latch-keeper defining lip at the forward edgeof each slot is securely though releasably engageable with the latches,whereby the latches may be efficiently and readily engaged with ordisengaged from the latch-keeper with one hand, permitting the otherhand to remain free for handling the medical pick.

The jaws, hinge, latches and latch-keeper comprise a unitary article ofmanufacture, whereas the resilient pad is a separate article which issecured to and carried by the lower jaw. Each of said articles ismanufactured from a non-pyrogenic material which may be readilysubjected to autoclaving, thereby permitting use of the pick-guard toshield the delicate tip during all phases of handling.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide anautoclavable pick-guard for shielding the delicate tip of a medical pickor the like during all phases of handling including storage andautoclaving wherein the pick-guard will readily accommodate a variety ofmedical picks having tips of different size and- /or configuration,wherein the medical pick may be easily and efficiently removed from thepick-guard, and wherein personnel may readily and visually ascertain theconfiguration of the shielded tip.

Other objects and features of the invention will be readily apparentfrom the accompanying drawings and description of the preferredembodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side-elevational view of apick-guard embodying the teachings of the present invention shown ingripping and shielding relationship with the tip of a medical pick orthe like.

FIG. 2 is a top-elevational view of the pick-guard of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken at line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken at line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a view of the pick-guard with the jaws in normally open,spaced-apart relationship.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken at line 6-6 of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken at line 77 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 7, illustrating thepick-guard in gripping and shielding relationship with the tip of asecond medical pick or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The preferred embodiment of thepick-guard is illustrated in the drawings and is designated, in general,by the reference numeral 10. The pick-guard comprises upper and lowerelongate jaws 14,16 which have forward ends 18 19 and rearward ends20-21, respectively. The jaws are hingedly secured to one another byresilient hinge 22 which is integral with and forms part of rearwardends 2021. The hinge resiliently urges and normally maintains forwardends 18-19 in open, spaced-apart relationship (FIG. 5).

A pair of transversely aligned, laterally spaced latches 36 are formedintegral with and project upwardly from lower jaw 16. The latchessecurely though releasably engage a latch-keeper 25 in jaw 14 forreleasably locking forward ends 18-l9 in closed juxtaposition, wherebythe jaws will securely grip the peripheral surface of a longitudinallyinserted medical pick .12 or the like at 27 for substantially envelopingand effec tively shielding the sharpened and/or pointed tip 26 thereof(FIGS. 1 and 2). It will be noted that gripped portion 27 of the medicalpick is disposed rearwardly of tip 26, whereby the delicate tip remainsfree and clear of the pick-guard.

Resilient pad 32 is seated in abutting relationship with the uppersurface 34 of jaw 16 and provides a readily deformable, resilientbearing surface engageable by the medical pick, whereby the pick-guardreadily accommodates and securely grips any of a variety of picks at 27and 127, effectively shielding tips of different size and/orconfiguration without resulting in deformation of jaws 14 and 16 (FIGS.7 and 8). Upper jaw 14 includes an elongate window or opening 64 forvisually ascertaining the location and configuration of the shield tip.

Jaws l4 and 16, hinge 22, latches 36 and latchkeeper 25 comprise anintegral, unitary article of nonpyrogenic material which may be readilysubjected to autoclaving, such as, by way of example, polypropylene orthe like. Preferably, the material is naturally resilient, wherebyresilient hinge 22 is generated by manufacturing the pick-guard in aunitary mold with jaws 14 and 16 disposed in coplanar, longitudinallyaligned relationship.

Pad 32 comprises an article of readily deformable, resilient,non-pyrogenic material which may be readily subjected to autoclaving,such as silicone rubber or the like.

The latches of the preferred embodiment comprise a pair of transverselyspaced, upstanding members 36 which are integral with and projectupwardly from lower jaw 16 (FIGS. 1, 3 and 7). Latch-keeper 25 comprisesa pair of transversely spaced, elongate slots 42-43 in upper jaw 14(FIGS. 2 and 7) which are complementary with, readily accommodate andloosely receive latches 36. Upper jaw 14 includes a transverselyextending, upwardly projecting lip or latch strike 46 which is adjacentto and projects rearwardly from the forward-most edges of the slots.Each latch 36 includes a forwardly projecting, latch strike-engaging rib38 for securely engaging lip 46 and locking the jaws in closedjuxtaposition. The latches 36 are efficiently and readily disengagedfrom latch-keeper 25 by cradling the pickguard 10 in the open palm ofone hand and retracting latches 36 rearwardly with the thumb, therebydisengaging ribs 38 from latch strike 46 and releasing upper jaw 14. Theresilient hinge 22 then urges jaws 14 and 16 into open, spaced-apartrelationship and thereby permits withdrawal of the shielded tip 26 fromthe pickguard by grasping handle 48 of the pick with the free hand andadvancing the pick in the direction of arrow A (FIG. 5).

Latches 36 are normally resiliently urged toward the forward ends of thejaws, and will return to the latchkeeper engaging position when releasedby the thumb.

With particular reference to FIGS. 4, 7 and 8, it will be noted thatresilient pad 32 includes a pair of transversely spaced, elongate slots66,68 complementary with and adapted to receive latches 36. The slotsdefine a snug, slip-fit relationship with the lower jaw-adjacent end ofthe latches, whereby the latches provide means for maintaining the padin seated relationship with upper surface 34 of the jaw. The lower jawincludes cavity 70 which is disposed directly beneath pad 32.

The cavity provides clearance for the pad when said pad receives amedical pick and is depressed and deformed thereby when jaws 14 and 16are closed.

A pair of transversely aligned, laterally spaced abutments 50,52 dependfrom upper jaw 14 and with latches 36 define an intermediate, elongate,pickreceptive channel 54 for longitudinally gudiing the medical pickinto the pick-guard. The latches and abutments provide side walls forchannel 54 and ensure against transverse movement of the medical pickrelative to the pick-guard during handling.

Complementary spacers 56,58 are integral with and form a part of hinge22 (FIGS. 1, 3 and 5). The spacers are disposed in abutting relationshipwith one another when the jaws are closed, and with abutments 50, 52maintain the closed jaws l4 and 16 in substantially parallel, spacedrelationship with one another to establish clearance for the tip 26.

Jaws 14 and 16 include complementary chambers and 62, respectively,which provide additional clearance for tip 26. The elongate opening 64is disposed in communication with chamber 60 and is in alignment withthe longitudinal axis of the pick-receptive channel 54.

In the preferred form, end 19 of lower jaw 16 is forward of end 18 ofupper jaw 14. This arrangement provides three contact points between thejaws and pick 12, as illustrated at 80, 81 and 82 of FIG. 3, and ensuresa tight, non-slip grip of the pick by the pick-guard.

What is claimed is:

l. A one-piece, plastic pick-guard for shielding the tip of a medicalpick or the like, comprising a pair of elongate jaws integrally hingedtogether at one of their ends for pivotal movement between open andclosed positions, one of said jaws having a pair of transverselyaligned, laterally spaced upstanding latches, the other jaw having apair of transversely aligned, laterally spaced, latch-receptive openingstherethrough, a transverse latch strike on the said other jaw at oneside of and spanning each of said latch-receptive openings, and adeformable, resilient pad secured to and carried by said first mentionedjaw, adjacent and in circumscribing relationship with the lower orjaw-adjacent ends of the latches, said laterally spaced latches definingthe sides of a longitudinally extending pickreceptive channel.

2. A device as called for in claim 1, wherein the jaw in which thelatch-receptive openings are located includes an elongate, centrallydisposed through opening which extends longitudinally of said jaw inspaced relationship with the latch-receptive openings therethrough andthe hinged end thereof, said elongate, longitudinal opening providingvisual access to the contents of the guard during those periods of timewhen the jaws are in closed position.

3. A device as called for in claim 1, wherein the pickguard and thedeformable, resilient pad are each of a non-pyrogenic, autoclavablematerial.

' 4. A device as called for in claim 1, wherein the deformable,resilient pad includes a pair of transversely aligned, laterally spaced,latch-receptive slots therethrough which define a snug, slip-fitrelationship with the lower or jaw-adjacent ends of the latches, andwherein the said first mentioned jaw includes a cavity intermediate saidlatches and in open communication with the deformable, resilient pad.

6 5. A device as called for in claim 1, which includes 6. A device ascalled for in claim 1, wherein each of a P of transversely alignechlaterally sPaced abutthe jaws includes an elongate, longitudinallyextending ments secured earned by and prolecung from the chamberintermediate the latches and the hinge and in free end of the jaw inwhich the latch-receptive openings are located, and in longitudinalalignment with the 5 latches; and a pair of complementary spacersintegral with and forming part of the hinge, wherein the abutments andspacers define contact points between the free end of the other j jawswhen said jaws are in closed position.

open communication with the pick-receptive channel. 7. A device ascalled for in claim 1, wherein the free end of the said first mentionedjaw is forward of the

1. A one-piece, plastic pick-guard for shielding the tip of a medicalpick or the like, comprising a pair of elongate jaws integrally hingedtogether at one of their ends for pivotal movement between open andclosed positions, one of said jaws having a pair of transverselyaligned, laterally spaced upstanding latches, the other jaw having apair of transversely aligned, laterally spaced, latch-receptive openingstherethrough, a transverse latch strike on the said other jaw at oneside of and spanning each of said latch-receptive openings, and adeformable, resilient pad secured to and carried by said first mentionedjaw, adjacent and in circumscribing relationship with the lower orjaw-adjacent ends of the latches, said laterally spaced latches definingthe sides of a longitudinally extending pick-receptive channel.
 2. Adevice as called for in claim 1, wherein the jaw in which thelatch-receptive openings are located includes an elongate, centrallydisposed through opening which extends longitudinally of said jaw inspaced relationship with the latch-receptive openings therethrough andthe hinged end thereof, said elongate, longitudinal opening providingvisual access to the contents of the guard during those periods of timewhen the jaws are in closed position.
 3. A device as called for in claim1, wherein the pick-guard and the deformable, resilient pad are each ofa non-pyrogenic, autoclavable material.
 4. A device as called for inclaim 1, wherein the deformable, resilient pad includes a pair oftransversely aligned, laterally spaced, latch-receptive slotstherethrough which define a snug, slip-fit relationship with the loweror jaw-adjacent ends of the latches, and wherein the said firstmentioned jaw includes a cavity intermediate said latches and in opencommunication with the deformable, resilient pad.
 5. A device as calledfor in claim 1, which includes a pair of transversely aligned, laterallyspaced abutments secured to, carried by and projecting from the free endof the jaw in which the latch-receptive openings are located, and inlongitudinal alignment with the latches; and a pair of complementaryspacers integral with and forming part of the hinge, wherein theabutments and spacers define contact points between the jaws when saidjaws are in closed position.
 6. A device as called for in claim 1,wherein each of the jaws includes an elongate, longitudinally extendingchamber intermediate the latches and the hinge and in open communicationwith the pick-receptive channel.
 7. A device as called for in claim 1,wherein the free end of the said first mentioned jaw is forward of thefree end of the other jaw.